F. Scott Fitzgerald
Born: September 24, 1896 – Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States
F. Scott Fitzgerald was an American novelist and short story writer whose work explored wealth, ambition, romance, and disillusionment in the Jazz Age. Best known for The Great Gatsby, he also wrote This Side of Paradise and Tender Is the Night, becoming a defining literary voice of twentieth-century American fiction.
Biography & Author's Journey
F. Scott Fitzgerald was born Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald on September 24, 1896, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, into a family whose social ambitions and financial instability would later shape much of his fiction. He attended St. Paul Academy, the Newman School, and then Princeton University, where he devoted more energy to writing for campus publications and theatrical productions than to academic work. He left Princeton in 1917 without graduating and joined the U.S. Army during World War I, fearing he might die before proving himself as a writer. That sense of urgency, combined with his courtship of Zelda Sayre, became a decisive turning point. After an early novel draft was rejected, he revised it into This Side of Paradise, published in 1920. Its immediate success brought fame, financial opportunity, and marriage to Zelda in the same year.
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Community Voices
"F. Scott Fitzgerald was an American short-story writer and novelist famous for his depictions of the Jazz Age"
— Britannica
"F. Scott Fitzgerald was probably the most gifted and insightful literary chronicler of the Roaring Twenties"
— Encyclopedia.com
"F. Scott Fitzgerald, one of the major American writers of the twentieth century, embodied powerful myths about the American Dream"
— Library of Congress
"F. Scott Fitzgerald was an American fiction writer whose works helped illustrate the flamboyance and excess of the Jazz Age"
— American Masters
"American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald rose to prominence as a chronicler of the jazz age"
— History
"Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald is acclaimed as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century"
— The National
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From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
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"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
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"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
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